"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

Seventeen birthdays later and I reach physical maturity. Somehow, it doesn't seem as exciting as one would think it to be.

But yes, I'm finally of the age to...

... Buy cigarettes.
... And alcohol.
... Drink legally.
... Watch M18 movies in cinemas.
... Go clubbing legally. *sniggers*
... Apply for a driving license.
... Be charged as an adult in the court of law.

And I think that's about it.

Woop-tee-doo.

I confess, I have a bad memory for events. That, and birthdays. Call it selective memory, but I don't exactly remember unfortunate events that well (notthatimsayingthatbirthdaysareunfortunateeventsbuthaveyouseenyourbirth? thatssomelifescarringmomentthere).

But I digress.

Dad wasn't a fan of birthdays himself. He always told me that it wasn't exactly a "great" thing that you were born- It was the buddhist belief in him speaking; Nature's way of telling you "hey look! you've been good enough in your previous life, so you're now a mortal! Try harder next time though, because you're nowhere near immortality! :D"

I think that was an excuse for him to disregard birthdays. Ironically, I found myself doing the same thing year after year.

(I hereby apologise to anyone whose birthday I've forgotten over the years- I'm making an effort to remember now.)

Still, birthdays have always been a special occasion for me. You'd think that it's the only day you feel special, huh? Or maybe that's my perception. Nevertheless, adaptation and upbringing have probably made me the way I am today.

Memorable moments of my life have been far and few.

Age four saw my weaning off the pacifier and milk-bottle-drinking. It was a tough time, really. Dad and Mum was all "you're a big boy now, son, and big boys don't use pacifiers". There were the dreadful pacifier withdrawals. I would ask them about the urges, and they'd tell me that "it'll pass". Funny how i believed them then, because I still have these urges every now and then.

The only thing keeping me away from them is the fear of addiction to the strange plastic device- What can I say? I'm a sucker for these things, pun intended.

I remember age five too,when I was woken up by Mum in the middle of the night. Dad apparently bought me my very own Mercedes Benz 1:8 model car. That, and -tons- of soft toys. Bears, crocodiles, fruits (?), and even Donatello the ninja turtle (LOOKIE ITS ANOTHER DON LOL -.-). I still have some of those to this very day. His words that day still ring.

Fast forward.

The eighteenth would be slightly different from the rest, as it would seem - I would start the day off with a bout of mahjong with Mich and the rest of the guys.

We were to start at 9, and I arrived early...

... At 10.

The guys were great- Their hands too. You could see Neng Hao winning almost every game, his hand impeccably strong every single game. 'Tais' naturally came to him. There were too many 'peng peng hus' for any comfort.

My chips kept dwindling... But no matter. I was given a discount on my supposed 'loss' - A late birthday gift. Nice.

It was closing 6 when I got a phone call; I was supposed to be at Ang Mo Kio in fifteen minutes.

What?!

So I rushed from Kallang to Toa Payoh, hoping that I would have the luck of reaching the latter in ten minutes.

I didn't.

The bus had to spit and splutter in the midst of the bustling traffic, flustering every passenger onboard. That would make the second of a bout of break-downs I were to face in the near future.

Just my luck, really. So I got down near Toa Payoh, and boarded the next taxi I could find. And then it had to rain. :)

Fish & Co. at AMK Hub finally reached my sight half an hour later as I bounded up the busy escalator. A middle-aged woman gave out a snarl while unpredictable legs brought me up and past her in an alarming speed, threatening to throw her off balance. She didn't fall though.

Boo.

Long story short, I reached, we ate, and I got PRESENTS (yay!).

Amongst other things, I guess I got my present - Jerico, Jasmine, Darren and Dom makin' fun of each other, Jasper and Lynnette jokin' around, Pam and Xuan gossiping (as always)... Yeah, nothing beats a good gathering with these guys. That would be the best present of all.

They showed no mercy though - I had to stand on a chair while the staff sang me a birthday song. I got a balloon too! And the cake was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. It was just like my MacDonald's party back when I was 5 (except we had fish and chips instead of burgers, and... never mind).

And for the record - My weirdest birthday gift to date is no longer a toothpick (this is another story for another day); It is now a pair of polka-dot boxers. No prize for guessing who chipped in.

To top everything off, I got whipped-creamed. Yum. On the bright side, at least it was full-cream. Gawd knows I scoff in the presence of the lactose-intolerant.

.
.
.

Y'know, birthdays always remind me of how meaningful and interesting that life could turn out to be, and that one shouldn't waste any time at all in pursuing his greatest dreams.

I thus promised myself to dedicate myself to the betterment of oneself for the upcoming year, via the instilling of discipline and perseverance amongst other things.

After all, life is lived but once, and birthdays mere milestones to record our stories. And I quote, "life is made bearable by the stories we save and tell".

So I went home and got wasted.

THE END.